I did a recent engagement shoot where the couple took #butfirstletmetakeaselfie to the next level and luckily I got to capture it in action. The shot on the top is mine and the one underneath is the resulting selfie. New engagement/wedding trend?
In celebration of Easter this weekend I decided to whip up some festive cookies packed with one of my favourite chocolatey treats, Cadbury Mini Eggs!
I found a recipe for a cookie that stays soft, since I wanted them to still be chewy by the weekend. I used the Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction and substituted the chocolate chunks with Mini Eggs.
I sent a bunch of them to my guy’s office today and he told me they were all demolished before lunch time, I think that’s a good sign.
Happy Easter!
Lemon Macarons
I decided to attempt what is considered one of the most temperamental treats, the French Macaron. I studied many sources, read the common tips and tricks, and finally settled on a basic beginners recipe and went for it.
My results were not spectacular, unfortunately most of them cracked but I was able to put together a few decent looking finished macarons. I filled them with a beautiful homemade lemon curd, which thankfully came together perfectly.
After reading this super helpful Macaron Troubleshooting Guide I believe my batter was too airy, as I was a little worried about over mixing, also my oven temperature is notoriously inconsistent. While I do have an in oven thermometer, the temperature keeps jumping up and down which makes baking such a delicate cookie difficult.
I’m really determined to perfect this recipe since the cost of making them at home is quite low and they are something very special and impressive to serve or give as a gift.
Next time I’ll try deflating the batter a bit more and I’ll also keep a very close eye on the oven temperature, and start it off at a lower heat.
My new business cards came in today for my wedding and portrait business, Patricia Marie Photography. They were designed by John Godfrey Art Direction + Design who did all of my new branding and is not only an amazingly talented designer but also happens to have my heart.
Just call me St. Patty! You know me, I’m all about celebrating Holidays. This year however, I kept things very low key, so no green beer for me (I did that last year), but I did keep things festive in my own way!
I painted my nails a festive shade with China Glaze in Starboard.
I devoured a delicious mini cupcake with green frosting (umm or 2 or 3).
I sipped my favourite Green Tea, Tazo Zen.
How did/are you celebrating this St. Patricks Day?
Here are a few ways in which I have decorated my apartment with simple accents.
The one thing I really remember my Mom baking when I was a child was banana bread and she never used a recipe, she just kind of threw it all together and it always came out perfectly. Today I took inspiration from her and decided to grab my overripe bananas and just have some fun in the kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a total novice in the kitchen and I do have a general sense of quantities when it comes to baking but for the most part I just kind of felt it out as to what seemed right. It turned out great I think, very moist and chock full of banana flavour. So why not have some fun in the kitchen yourself? Grab some ingredients and experiment a bit, and if you aren’t feeling risky today, you can try out my Oatmeal Banana Crumble Loaf for yourself. Let me know what you think, or feel free to share your experiments with us!